Electric switch



April 1, 1924. 1,489,087

E. W. MCKINLEY ELECTRIC vSWII'GH Filed June 20.. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 1 l1924.

E. W. MCKINLEY ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed June 20, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ff W" I NV EN TOR. Edwin Mnl/fin ley Patented Apr. l, 1924.

UNITED STATES EDWIN W. IQKINLEY, OFNEW YBK, Y.

ELITBIC SWITCH.

Appiiuen mea :une zo, 192s. semi in. 546,590.

To lall whom-it may concern:

Be it known-that I EDWIN W. MoKIN- nur, a citizen of the llnited States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to electric switches of the character serviceable in connection with electric vehicle signals. It relates more especially to that-type of switch einployed in cutting in and out various groups of lamps in a. manner tc produce different illumination effects in the signal with which the switch is connected.

An object of the invention is to accomplish the foregoing results by' a comparatively simple construction.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel switch for use in accomplishing this purpose which switch employs as a pivot for the movin part thereof the socket of a tell-tale lig t for indicating whether or not the various circuits have been accomplished.

These .and other objects I attain by the construction -shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of a switch constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view therethrough;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the stationary disk of the main switch;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the movable switch element of the main switch;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the movable element of the series parallel switch employed;

Figure 6 is ay plan view of the stationary element of the series parallel switch; and

Figure 7 is a wiring diagram illustrating the position of the series parallel switch in connection with the main switch and signal elements; when the signal is in use.

There is provided a suitable case 8 and mounted therein is a switch plate 9 constructed of electrical insulation material. In this instance the case 8 is cylindrical and the plate 9 is disk shaped.

Pivotally mounted on the plate 9 is a second plate 10 also in the form of a disk of electrical insulation material, the pivot being formed by a lamp socket 11 which extendsthrough central openings 12, 13, in the disks 9, 10, respectively. In the lamp socket 11 is inserted a tell-tale lamp 14.

The case 8 is preferably split lon 'tudin ally so that it forms two separab e sections 15, 16 and a cap 17 fits over a reduced portion 18 of the case so as to hold the case sections together. The cap 17 is provided with a sight opening 19 having a window 20 so that the lightfrom the lamp 14 can be seen.

The lamp socket 11 is provided with a flange 21 which overlies the margin of the opening 13v and a Washer 22 is held by a nut 23 against the lower face of the disk 9. The nut 23 engages the threaded shank 24 of the lamp socket.

The disk 9 is provided with a circular series of shouldered recesses 25 in which are disposed the heads 26 of contact pins 27, 28, 29, 3o, 31, 32, 33,' 34 and 35, coil springs 36 surrounding said pins beneath the heads to yieldingly hold the heads 26 in position to be selectivel engaged by a circular series of contacts 377, 38, 39, 40 and 41' mounted in the disk 10. The disk 10 is provided with an operating handle 42 which projects through a slot 43 in the periphery of the case 8. The handle 42 may be turned into different positions as indicated inrbroken and full lines in Figure 1. It may be assumed, for purposes of description, that the broken line position designated a is the correct position for indicating a left turn, the broken line position b for indicating a right turn andthe solid line yposition c for indicating stop The underface of the disk 10 is provided with pairs of oppositely disposed recesses 44, and 46. When the handle 42 is in the stop or mid-position, the recesses 44 are engaged by the contacts 32, 27 and the recesses 45 by the contacts 28, 30 so as to yieldingly hold the disk in said position.

n the stop position of the disk l1() the contacts 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41 engage the contacts 31, 33, 34, 35, and 29, respectively. When the handle is in the left position a the contacts 30, 35 will engage the recesses 44 and the contacts 27, 29 the recesses 45 to yieldingly hold the disk in that position. When the handle is in the right position b the contacts 28, 33 will engage the recesses 44 the contacts 29, 32 the recesses 45 and the contact 31 one of the recesses 46. If desired the handle 42 may be held in either one of two neutral positions midway between the positions a, b and the stop position o. When thehandle 1s 1n such neutral positions the contacts 28, 29 or the contacts 29, 30 will engage the recesses 46. The contacts 37, 38, 39, 40 and 4l are inter-connected as indicated at 86. The switch formed b the 4parts hereinbefore referred to will ereinafter be termed the direction switch N.

Mounted in the lower portion of the case 8 is a switch O including a stationary switch plate in the form of a disk 47 constructed of electrical insulating materlal. Pivotally mounted on the disk 47 is a second disk 48 also of'electrical insulatingy material provided with an operating handle 49 which projects through a slot 50 in the periphery of the case. The pivot 51 of the disk 48 passes through the disk 47 and is anchored 1n the bottom of the case. The sttionary disk 47 is provided with a series of electric contacts 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 and 57 and the disk 48 is provided with pairs of inter-connected electric contacts 58, 59, 60, 61, 62 and 63, the connection for the contacts 58 and 59 being indicated at 64, the connection for the contacts 60, 61, at 65 and the connection for the contacts 62, 63 at 66. The contacts 58 to 63 inclusive are in the form of pins provided with heads 87 which are accommodated in shouldered recesses 88, there being coil springs 89 surrounding the pins beneath the heads to push the pins toward the disk 47.

Now referring more particularly to the wiring diagram shown in Figure 7, there is indicated a seriesof signal lamp groups 67, 68, 69, 70, 71 and 72 which together constitute a visual electric signal that may be properly energized by operation of the switch above described to indicate that the driver of the vehicle on which the signal is installed is about to stop the vehicle or turn it to the right or left Each group may consist of one or more lamps. The lamp groups 67 to 72 inclusive, are grounded as indicated at 73. The lamp group 67 is connected by a wire 74 to the switch contact 34 of the switch N. The lamp group 68 is connected by a wire 7 5 to the switch contact 33 of the switch N. The lamp group 69 is connected by a wire 76 to the switch contact 35 of the switch N. The lamp group is connected by a wire 77 to the switch contact 32 of the switch N. The lamp oup 71 is connected by a wire 78 to the switch contact 27 of the switch N. The lamp group 72 is connected by a wire 79 to the switch contact 31 of the switch N. The contact 52 of the switch O is grounded as indicated at 80. One terminal of the lamp 14 is connected by a wire 81 to is to the switch contact 53 of the switch O and the other terminal by tact 56 of this switch.

A source of electric current is indicated at 83 and one terminal thereof is ounded and the other terminal is connected y a wire 84 to the switch contact 57 of the switch O. The switch contacts 30 and 28 of the switch N are interconnected as indicated at 85. The switch contacts 28 of the switch N and 54 of the switch O are connected by a wire 95 and from this wire there is a connection 95l to the contact 29 of the switch N. The contact 41 of the disk 10 and the contact 55 of the switch O are connected by a wire 95". In the connection 95* is shown a switch 96 which a wire 82 to the conmay be hand-operated but is preferably any well known form of foot-operated switch of the character at resent employed in connection with the brake-operating levers of motor vehicles. Of course the switch 96 may be omitted, and, in that event, the operator will place the switch handle 42 in either one of the' neutral positions when he does not desire to indicate a stop or a right or left turn. If the vehicle should be standing on a hill with the brakes set, the driver may ein tinguish the lamps by throwing the handle 42 to either of the neutral ositions.

When the switches N and 0 are in the position illustrated in Figure 7 and the switch 96 is closed current will flow from the source 83 through wire 84, contacts 57 and 59, connection 64, contacts 58 and 53, wire 81, contacts 56 and 61, connection 65, contacts 60 and 54, wire 95, branch 95, switch 96 to the contact v29 of the switch N. Since this contact is engaged by the contact 41 of the switch N when the movable part of the switch is in this position, current ilows from the contact 29 to the contacts 35, 34, 33 and 31 which are in engagement with the inter-connected contacts 40, 39, 38 and 37, with the result that the lamp groups 69, 67, 68 and 72 and telltale 14 are energized. The purpose of this lamp provide in the circuit, represented by the Wires 81, 82 and lam 14, a tell-tale for determining whether the amps of the groups are properly energized.

With the switches N and O in the position shown in Figure 7, the closure of the switch 96 illuminates those groups hereinbefore referred to and these groups when illuminated form, for example, a stop signal. If it is desired to forma left signal, the handle 42 is operated to move the same to the position a in Figure 1, at ywhich time the contacts 41, 40, 39 and 38 thereof will be in eng ement with the contacts 28, 34, 33, and 32. ince the Contact 28 is connected by the wire 95 with the switch O and accordmgly with the source of current, the 1am groups 67, 68 and 70 will be energized. 'Willen it is desired to form the right signal the switch handle 42 is moved to the pos1tion b in Figure 1 at which time the contact 41 engages the contact 30, the contact v the contact 27, the contact 39 the contact 35, the contact 38 and the contact 34, thus energizing the lamp groups 71, 69 and 67 to form the si a gft will be readilyvunderstood that any desired number of signal lamps may be employed in any of the groups 67 to 72and that these lamps may, if so desired, be arranged that a selection of groups s ells the word stop, a second selection o ups spells the word left and a third se ection of groups spells the word right Such 1llumination of the word stop,l left and right come in the art pertaining to vehicle signals and is not broadly claimed herein by me. The switch and system above described are` however, preferably used'in connection with that form of electrical signal described in my copending application for atent filed July 7, 1923, Serial No. 650,088.

his application is a continuation in part of my prior application Serial No. 583,342, filed August 21, 1922, for improvements lin electric switches.

I claim ,1. In an electric signal system, a plurality of signal lamps, an additional lamp, means for energizing different groups of said signal lamps at diierent times only, and said additional lamp at the same time and during that period only that elther of the gmuPs .case and' provided with central openings, a

lamp socket extending through the openings to form a pivot, a telltale lamp in the socket, a circular series of electric contacts, in one of the disks, and a circula-r series of yieldingly mounted electric contacts in the other disk adapted to be selectively engaged with the first contacts as relative rotation of the disks is effected.

3. In an electric switch, a case having a sight opening, relatively rotatable disks of electrical insulation material mounted in the case and provided with central openings, a lamp socket extending through the openings to form a pivot, a telltale lamp in the socket, a circular series of electric contacts in one of the disks, and a circular series of yielding] mounted electric contacts in the other dis adapted to be selectively engaged with the first contacts as relative rotation of the disks is effected, and recesses formed in the first named disk and in which said yieldable cont-acts engage to hold the disks in adjusted positions.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aix myA signature.

1 EDWIN W. MCKINLEY. 

